At what age did you neuter your male dog?

[JKramer]

One of my dogs is 8 months old.
He humps a little bit but generally he is a well behaved boy.
He is not aggressive or territorial, doesn't mark places.
He is a Pug cross.
So I am just wondering on a health basis, at what age is good for neutering a male dog?

Our dog came to us already done at 8 weeks, as the rescues here only rehome neutered animals by policy. He still learned to cock his leg and went through a phase of humping his bed. In fact I've never really thought he behaves very differently from the dogs I grew up with who were all intact - except he doesn't escape and go on the hunt for bitches in heat.

Dog is fine in the house, but he is going absolutely bananas out on walks. He marks every ten paces, hurls himself into smelly-looking patches of undergrowth and sits and wails at certain houses.

He is nearly 12 months old.

All the advice now seems to avoid neutering, and some people have said that neutering won't necessarily cure this behaviour, but dog's "maledom" is spoiling going for a walk.

My large breed dog was neutered at 18 months, once he'd finished growing. He'd never humped, and I don't think it's really affected his personality much, if at all.